The cartridge of the British Empire at its height. Chambered in the Martini-Henry rifle that armed British forces at Rorke's Drift, Isandlwana, the Zulu War, Afghanistan, Egypt, and Sudan. The bottlenecked black powder cartridge that held the thin red line.
Type: Rifle
Introduced: 1871, United Kingdom
Parent case: .577 Snider
Standardization: Obsolete / Non-standard
Bullet diameter: 0.457" (11.61 mm)
Case length: 2.348" (59.64 mm)
Overall length: 3.15" (80.01 mm)
Max pressure: 18,000 PSI
Rim type: Rimmed
Primer: Large Rifle
Typical twist rate: 1:22
Muzzle velocity: 1350–1450 fps
Muzzle energy: 1942–2244 ft-lbs
Effective range: 400 yd
Common bullet weights: 480 gr
Primary use: Military
Production status: Limited
Also known as: .577/450 · 11.43x60mmR · .577/450 MH · Martini-Henry
History: Developed to replace the .577 Snider cartridge and the Snider-Enfield conversion rifles, the .577/450 was adopted in 1871 for the new Martini-Henry — a falling-block single-shot combining Martini's action and Henry's rifling. The bottlenecked case was an engineering solution: the wide base accommodated the Martini's large extractor while the reduced neck allowed a manageable bore diameter. The…
Notable firearms: Martini-Henry Mk I, Martini-Henry Mk II, Martini-Henry Mk III, Martini-Henry Mk IV
Military use: {"country":"United Kingdom","years":"1871-1891","notes":"Standard British Army rifle cartridge; Martini-Henry Mk I–IV rifles"}, {"country":"British Empire","years":"1871-1900s","notes":"Issued across all British colonial forces; Egypt, India, South Africa, Afghanistan"}
Similar cartridges: .45-70 Government, .577 Snider, .303 British